Vashanti

The Internet is for Porn -- Avenue Q

Which is why you gotta look your best! It was a favorite saying of an Enchanter character of mine in a D&D campaign years ago. GO GO 18 CHARISMA!

When one stares into the Abyss, it's always best to look your best, because the Abyss stares back at you.

That won't work. If you're really interested in the truth, you have to start without pre-conceived notions. You can't find an answer if you're convinced you already know the answer. The word "virgin" in our language is not the same as the original texts. You're still holding onto that mistaken notion, that words equal the same words linguistically across all language families, which is not true. There are several words for "love," for instance, in some languages, which all have different meanings. The Bible has gone through a multitude of re-translations and mistranslations over the centuries. The one most people have is not the "word of God" anymore, but more like the "retold and remastered and told through several distorted tunnel-shaped holes word."

I dunno about the idea of Christianity being on the wane, at least here in the U.S. ... the last stats I saw said that Christians comprised approximately 80% of religious people here in the States. And the Christians came out in force to help George W. Bush win the last election; the Republicans were appealing to many aspects of conservative church ideology and also advertising in churches and such. From what I've read, Christianity in Europe, or at least in England, is not nearly as prominent as it is here in America. Speaking of secularism and such, here are a couple of hilarious videos from "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report:" Daily show video link: http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/12/07.html#a6225 Click on "XMas" on this link: http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_col...ent/index.jhtml

Hmm, she has alluring eyes, a firm body, great facial features, striking hair... what do you find distasteful about her?

My brother in law (one of my best friends from highschool) and my sister & their kids live in CA, in Silicon Valley. We go out there once or twice a year. Great area, north CA... very temperate and enjoyable. However, since my brain was broken by my father driving too quickly along steep roads in the Rocky Mountains, purposefully to tease Grandma when she'd come to visit, I don't particularly enjoy having to drive over mountains to go west to Santa Cruz, etc.

Thanks! Back in the day we actually called it "beedley beedley beee" but I've now blatantly stolen the "meedley" from Strong Bad's email: http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail36.html

Some women might think she's hot...

I'm a guy, living in sunny (humid and sweltering) Florida. Grew up in Arizona, and I prefer that arid, dry heat to the sweaty, sticky-shirt humidity of Florida... but at least we have some great beaches. Now if I could only afford to get my car's Air Conditioner fixed. :"> I double majored in Literature and Philosophy in college, and started my Masters in Literature. I've worked as an I.T. guy, web designer, graphics designer, editor, proofreader, etc. I'm changing directions again, though, and am planning on changing my Masters from plain old English Literature to a Masters in Teaching Literature. The job market for teachers (at the evil evil highschool level) is really needing people, while the job market for professors with a regular M.A. or Ph.D. in Literature at the Junior College or full college level is extremely limited. So, I figure I'll work my way up the ladder, as each year you can apply to different (read: better) schools, until I get somewhere that the little ****s actually want to pay attention and learn, and not have to wear a kevlar vest to class. JK! :D I saw the first "Star Wars" (Ep. IV) in 1977 at the movie theater as a little kid, and absolutely loved it. My wife and I are both D&D nerds and have diverse musical tastes, although I still have the long hair from my 80s rockband days (I wrote most of the music and lyrics and played lead guitar, meedley meedley meeeee).

Rachel Dratch is hilarious. However, I've never quite found her to be "hot." Give me an Amy Poehler & Tina Fey sandwich, please!

If you want the truth, then you'll need to research, take some classes, study up, talk to scholars of ancient texts and even a rabbi or cantor or three. There are even new scientific discoveries still being made from ancient texts found in the Dead Sea. You could even try to find the first translations -- into Ancient Greek from Hebrew -- and study those (although that may or may not have linguistic problems, as I describe below). Language is an amazing thing, but there are many linguistic differences between languages and language families. If you don't think something makes sense in one modern version's attempted translation of a word or passage, try using other translations, or better yet, learn what the original words mean in their original linguistic context. It's the only way to be sure. It's impossible to literally translate a phrase or sentence or passage over from such varied languages as Hebrew to English without some things being lost in the process.

Actually, in the original Hebrew, Mary was not called a "virgin," but rather a "virtuous woman." It was a mistranslation. Similarly, "Lucifer" is not a name of the Devil (who didn't officially exist until 325 AD, when the Council of Trent spelled him out); "Lucifer" refers to a mistranslated passage about the morning star, the last star to be visible during the sunrise. It was merely a metaphor for how "the devil" or the Opposer wanted to shine brightly like God. There have been numerous, numerous re-translations and thus mistranslations of the original holy texts, not to mention interpretations. It's no wonder there are so many varying sects within the Christian faith. In the year 1000 A.D., Christians sat around waiting for the Rapture. In the year 2000 A.D., the fervor was not nearly as manic as it was described back then, but people still spoke of the Rapture coinciding with the new millenia.

My bit of unoriginality: I hate it when I start off a campaign with "you're all in a tavern..." Very cliche.

Sadly, this notion is becoming less and less a part of American politics.

System of a Down -- (Cover of Berlin's) "The Metro"

I wanted her to become one with my group ... and maybe my bunk... :D

So why the bleep won't my movies display in better quality after the patch? My monitor *does* support the 1600x1200 resolution.

Oh Jesus, another religion thread... JK!

I've read rumors that it's possible to get Juhani to say she 'cares for you' (love romance) as a male Revan at the end, but the developers stated flat out that Juhani's character is a lesbian. So... has any male Revan here ever had Juhani gush over them?

I didn't really care about saving (and potentially lugging around) the redhaired tech guy from Peragus, but I wish in K1 we could have added Yuthura Ban to our party!

Damn this teaser ... I STILL haven't been able to see it. Not because of a lack of proper plug-in, but because it seems to always be so crowded and overloaded. Anyone have a good mirror?

Gotta love it. Two new cast members, two new drunk driving arrests. Even though the actress who plays Libby is drunk and taking a prison photo, she still looks delicious to me. They can leave the Ana Lucia actress in jail, imho.

+50 Force Points works out to be more Force Points than +3 Wisdom, correct? I'm no math major...